Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1887-03-12

time is nearly the same we are satls1led
he saw one of these and miStook 1t Tor
an original petition. lac he under
stood the law and looked back six
months and examined the records of
the Angus, term of the court, 1881, lie
would have found oil file the petitions
OF these parties with a long list of sig
INJURIES to each. One had 1872 names to
il. We did not count the other, but
think it had as many or more. The
applications al the March term were
Tor renewals under these petitions, to
which they we legally entitled without
any petition at all. Had he done this,
all would have been explained and lie
would not have felt called upon to rush
into print and 90 himself the injustice to-
publish the charge to the people OF the
county that the county conrt had decid-
ed that twenty five was a majority OF
the PRESIDENT citizen taxpayers ol 4
great railroad center and h future
county seat" The court never so de-
cided. nor did it ever issue a license TO
any party or parties in Higginsville
upon such a petition. Mr.. Catron
ought to have known better.
We have examined the records OF
the county court from he LIST OF Janua-
~, 1886, which fully Ove the time
he mentions. No such original petit
tons as he mentions were filed during
that time. We did not count the names
upon all the petitions. Ofthose count
| ed, one had l56, which was the low
est; another lS2, INT another 2O3.
The two last are about h average.
The court could not tell from the lists
whether there was a majority or not
and long since adopted a rule requir-
lug The petitioners TO attach an atflda-
| vii to the petition in which they make
oath that the petition is signed by a
majority of the assessed tax-payiug citi-
Zeus of the district where the saloon
is located. Every petition Tor tie
last three years has this affidavit at
tached to it and no license mas been
issued without it TO any one.
Again, Mr.. Catron says, "Many OF
the anne upon the petitions were not
legal signerS." In the am of COM
mon sense, and justice, too, we ask, how
was the county court to know whether
the names were genuine, or that they
were not resident taxpayers of Higgin-
sville Pit saw long lists OF names signed
to petitions, but few of which the menu
bers of the court knew, and knew no
more about the identity of others than
Mr.. Catron would if he saw a petition
p~romiscnously signed by several hun
dred persons from Lexington or
Odessa Had Mr.. CatrOn been as vigi-
liant then as he has been recently, he
could have pointed out to the court the
names OF those not properly on the
petitions and they would have been
stricken OFT. and if the remainder was
moi a majority the license would not
have been granted.
MIR. Catron says the old court was
100 loose in il business. In answering
this | hope the reader WilLFXcuse what
may appear temr. McGreH. 1t is not 50
intended. yper, Mr.gers of the court,
during thcin attend.e were there, and
for a long le were true and
faithful to fixing tase and to the inter-
ests of the c~ening During the long
and heated con. co, over the compro-
mise of the bonde .the members Of the
court, though often under arrest, and
sometimes threatened with imprisOn-
ment, never wavcred in their defense
of the interests of the people. In the
time that we were members of the
court, not Il bond or judgment was
bought or compromised except upon
the Terms adopted by the people, nor
WAS a levy made 10 pay off any judg-
memt as they were often required to do
by the orders of the United States
courts. During that time a large
number of bonds of the county were
bought and the debt reduced. The
last two years the county tax was re-
duced from 81 TO so cents upon the
500 valuation. In the general bust
ness of the county the public interest
has been watched and carefully guard
ed. The roads and bridges, Inch are
always subjects of interest TO the peo-
pie, have received special attention,
and Notwithstanding the seasons OF
1891 and 1885 were wet and very un-
favorable for roads, they are believed
TO be in better condition than before.
Many bridges have beeu built of better
class aud at less o than ever before.
Aud though there has been u consider
able reduction of the county debt, q
large expenditure necessary for roads
and bridges, an increase i'll criminal
costs and also Il reduction in the coun-
ty taxes, members Of the "old court
left more money in the county treasury
at the expiration of their term than
there was in it when they became
members of the court. With this
statement Of the services they have
rendered the county, they are willing,
as suggested by Mr.. Catron, to leave
their record, including that of dram
shop license, TO the Judgment OF the
people, and have no fears OF the result.
Now, in conclusion, as the preachers
say, we desire to say that we do not
believe that Mr.. Catron would intcn-
%tionally make any statement for the
purpose of rejecting upon or doing the
court injustice. We think he has been
mislead into making the statement,
We hope he viii be better posted i'll the
future, but he must see that his state.
meuts, ii not corrected, would wrong
fully prejudice the minds OF the good
people against The members OF the ''oIo
court We have therefore thought
best 10 answer aud lei the people m,
derstand the facts. ROBERT HALE,
II. II. ELLING.